History of Pomerania

The Kingdom of Pomerania is one of the three Alte Fürstentümer or Old Principalities of Ninisani, along with the Archduchy of Eliria and the Grand Principality of Syrenia. It is also without a doubt one of the most powerful and rightfully respected realms, not only in the Empire but across the continent. This is the history of the Kingdom.

Founding Myth

According to legend, Pomerania was founded in 262 VTE by Pomu Rainpuff, their patron Goddess. According to this Legend, the Divine Emperor Tazumi Riku sent the Three Sisters to the barbaric south to found a new Empire amongst the tribals that inhabited his lands. The Three Sisters divided the land between each other, with Pomu claiming the north, Elira the center and Finana the south. In harmony, The Three Sisters would each find a man from their tribes that would lead their new people into the future.

Finana would find a handsome man named Julius Nepos and he would become the first Grand Prince of Syrenia, and found the city of Atalanta. Elira would select a cute boy by the name of Antigonus. Antigonus would become the first Archduke of Eliria, the first Emperor of Ninisani, the progenitor of the Antigoneia Dynasty and the founder of Diamond City, built in honor of all Three Goddesses. Pomu, however, found a grizzled warrior by the name of Arminius.

Arminius was a strong and scarred warrior, an undefeated champion of hundreds of duels. Pomu asked the warrior if he believed he was the strongest in all of the world, to which Arminius confidently said yes. To test his ability, Pomu would summon first a Minotaur for the warrior to fight. After a struggle, Arminius killed the minotaur with a thrust of his spear into its throat.

Not yet satisfied, Pomu would next summon the "Golden Lion". Its gleaming mane made the beast immune to human weapons, while it's claws, sharper than any sword, could tear any armor to shreds with but a swipe. Arminius thrusted his spear into the lion, but the beast shrugged it off as if nothing even happened. Realizing this, he let the lion run past him and miss during an attack before jumping on its back and strangling it with his bare hands to death.

Arminius vs. the Goldener Löwe

When he emerged from the struggle exhausted yet victorious. Pomu bestowed upon him a magical sword that was called the Zerstörer der Welten or Destroyer of Worlds. She instructed Arminius to use the sword to skin the lion and turn its pelt into his armor.

"Thou hast passed my previous two bouts, dear mortal but this final ordeal shalt put all of thy stalwartness and dexterity to the test! For I shalt sendth thee against the Hydra itself." the Goddess said to the tired Arminius.
Arminius was confused about why he was being asked to fight all of these beasts and for what benefit "Most Divine Goddess, for what purpose hath ye subjugated me to these feats of great peril? Doth thou thinketh I be a hubristic man? Doth thou wanteth me perished? What profit is there for me in all of this?"
Pomu, with her hair blowing in the wind replied "Arminius, thou art my chosen one. The Prince of my people. From thy blood, my Kingdom shalt prosper and reign eternal. For what thou see as acts of malice with no gain for thee mortal, are a test from me to prove to that thou art worthy of such splendor and renown amongst nations. Ye shalt henceforth be remembered as the father and hero shalt thou place thy faith upon my bosom."
Arminius bowed his head to the Goddess and replied "Thou art mine sword and mine shield, dearest Lord. Thou shalt giveth me victory over the beast assuredly shalt I trust in thee! Bring forth the beast, for I am prepared for a great struggle with it and I shalt merge triumphant."
"Very well, my son." The fairy replied

and then suddenly, a great Hydra emerged from the earth and roared at Arminius. The great warrior cut off several of the heads of the great beast, only to see them grow back in greater number. Disheartened, he beseeched his Goddess for guidance as he dodged the continuous onslaught of attacks. Pomu granted him sight, revealing to Arminius that the for the Hydra to die, it's middle head must be cut, and if his conviction in Her is strong enough, his blade would surely strike true. With a renewed conviction Arminius felt the blade shiver in his hand, a golden glow on its edge growing stronger with each passing moment.

Full of new spirit, he cut off the Hydra's heads one by one, the golden shimmer of his blade burning the bloody Stumps. Severely weakened by the loss of its heads. The Hydra fell to the ground and Arminius cut off the Immortal head itself with the Destroyer of Worlds and buried it under a rock so that the beast would never again cause harm.

Arminius vs. the Hydra

Victorius against the Hydra, Arminius kneeled before Pomu who placed upon his head the Feenkrone or the Fairie Crown and declaring him to be the King of Pomerania. The two would make love and from their copulation would be born Pomunicus and Pomura, two important figures in Pomeranian mythology themselves. During the reign of Arminius, the future capital city of Pomupolis would be founded, which would remain the capital of the Kingdom until its destruction during the Obsydian Invasion 500 years later. As for the King himself, he would rule Pomerania for 30 years before he was taken up into the heavens to be reunited with Pomu. This place, known as Aufstieg, is one of the holiest sites in Pomerania.

Great Statue of Arminius at the Holy Site of Aufstieg, where Arminius was taken up into the clouds where he would be reunited with his lover, the Goddess Pomu for eternity

Pomerania up until the Obsydian Invasion.

Arminius' successors would continue to rule Pomerania for the next 300 years. Much of the history about this time has been lost due to the consequences and chaos of the Obsydian invasion, including the destruction of the Great Library of Pomupolis where these records were kept. But from what knowledge we do understand is that the Kingdom over time, like their neighbors, would adopt the Feudal System of society and governance because of the hazards presented by Verrückten or Madmen that emerge in the whole Empire.

Furthermore, a schism in Pomuism occurred in 507 that saw the rise of the Pomurans as a separate branch of Pomuism. Pomurans claim that the twin daughter of Arminius and Pomu, Pomura is another manifestation of Pomu herself and is either her equal or superior in some aspect. This sect first emerged around 376 VTE but it would not be until 448 VTE that the original doctrine of the sect, that being Pomura was Pomu's equal daughter would morph into Pomura actually being the sister of Pomu and that she too had a son with Arminius called Pomuranus, who became the first Duke of Pomura.
The popularity of this sect grew to a point that during the 4th Synod of Pomupolis, Pomurans were declared heretics by the Church of Pomu. This led to a series of civil wars known as the "Pomuran Wars" that lasted right up till the Obsydian invasion and greatly weakened Pomerania in this process. Indeed, the wars would end only in 538 with the signing of the Edict of Brabant, a mere 5 years before the Obsydian invasion. This Edict permitted the Pomurans to practice their sect and form their own separate church called the Church of Pomura.

With Pomerania experiencing a decline in its power during the 6th century, and the other two states having also been weakened by their own internal issues; the stage was set for one of the most important events in the history of Ninisani, the Obsydian Invasion

The Obsydian Invasion and the Rise of Pomeranius

In 543, from the Heavenly Sea came three groups of foreign conquerors that would soon bring terror to Ninisani. They were called the Dragoons, the Pétales/Rosebuds and the Pentomos. No one quite knows where these peoples came from, with some suspecting that they came from the East while other believing they were schismatics from Ninisani itself. Either way, their arrival came at the worst possible time for the old principalities and caught them totally off-guard. After the first army from LazuLight was destroyed at the Battle of Stargard in 544, the Great Obsydian Horde went on to conquer the eastern half of the Empire by 546.

The three would then split up and consolidate their gains, with the Dragoons gaining the South, the Rosebuds the Center and the Pentomos the North. Disunity between LazuLight was only making things worse post-Stargard, as each Prince decided to fight on his own terms instead of uniting as one. The Syrenians would suffer the most from this decision, losing most of their land to the Dragoons by 551 after the Battle of Kungshult, and ultimately being completely conquered by 554.

Around this same time, another legendary figure rose to prominence in Pomerania. He was a descendant of Arminius and Pomu through Pomunicus's third son, Pomuralius and was currently the reigning Duke of Löwenstein. His name was Friedrich-Pomeranius von Löwenstein but is known to us simply as Pomeranius the Great. He was only 15 when he took part in the Battle of Stargard, in which he showed great bravery and presence, but also would lose both his father and his two elder brothers. Swiftly returning home, he was coronated as the Duke of Löwenstein on November 4th 544, but more troubles soon engulfed the young man's life.

The Kingdom as a whole was devastated by the battle, as the King and his three sons were all slain during the battle, causing the Ruling house to become extinct and leading claimants to fight for the throne. Over the course of the next 2 years, 3 different Kings would rule the Kingdom as she lost more and more land to the Pentomos and Rosebuds. While the Pentomos and Rosebuds would be checked at the Battle of Lindenberg in 546, they would no doubt soon be back after consolidating their holdings. The current King, Pomupius II, took this respite to solidify his dynasties control of the Kingdom and would have many Princes of the Blood outright murdered and more would flee into Exile. All except one, the Duke of Löwenstein.

Pomeranius had stopped all attempts on his life by his cousin and furthermore sent a mocking letter to Pomupius declaring him a coward for not wanting to fight him like a man. This enraged the Tyrant, who marched on the Duchy for Pomeranius's head. Outside of the small village of Bautzen near Lake Regalia, the armies of both Pomeranius and Pomupius met. Pomeranius rode forth alone to his enemy and called upon Pomupius to settle this by a fight to the death between both of them. He said that there was no point in killing more men when such threats loomed over the horizon. With a bit of a laugh at the stupidity of his cousin, daring to challenge him, the greatest duelist in Pomerania; Pomupius accepted stating that the rightful King would emerge victorious from this duel to the death.

The two men dismounted from their steeds and removed their helmets as was custom. At first, Pomupius appeared to have the upper hand, delivering blow after staggering blow that the young Pomeranius barely was able to counter. Then suddenly, time seemed to halt for Pomeranius and a mystical figure appeared before him.

She called out to him "Giveth all thy faith unto me for victory and ye shall triumph my beloved son!"
"Who are you!", shouted Pomeranius at the figure before him.
"I'm Pomu, your true mother. From my womb I gave birth to you. Place your trust in me, and victory shalt be thine for the taking!"

Pomeranius was confused but suddenly time seemingly resumed, and he barely avoided a killing blow from the sword of Pomupius. Pomupius mockingly taunted him as he continued to deliver blows:

"You are a mere boy, a miscreant whose life I will soon extinguish as I have dozens before you. Your bravery and love of your people is admirable but it shal-"

Suddenly Pomeranius managed to match the strength of Pomupius. His eyes were filled with pure fury and resolve, and he managed to push Pomupius back several feet with his sudden inhuman strength.

Pomupius was shocked but grew smug once more, "Oh so the little boy has some strength in him! Haha, very interesting. Let's see what you are made of!"

Pomupius tried to go on the attack again only to find himself increasingly on the defensive against Pomeranius. With each blow countered, Pomupius was forced back and finally his sword was struck right out of his hands. As he went to grab it, Pomeranius stepped right on him, glaring with rage and determination. The great duelist in a stunned silence was helpless as the boy smirked and tauntingly mocked him:

"All of that hubris has led to your own demise. What a brave man thou art! Who when beaten by a greater foe in a duel has shit himself in the face of death? This shall be your legacy, cousin!"

He then thrusted his blade violently into the chest of Pomupius and blood splattered everywhere when his removed it. Cutting the head off the former king, he held it up in triumph for all to see. The shocked silence of the crowd turned into an uproar of cheers, hailing him as King. At the age of 19, the one of the greatest rulers that the world has ever seen took the Fairie Crown and would change the course of history forever.

Reign of Pomeranius the Great: The Obsyidian War and Aftermath

In 549, the newly crowned King of Pomerania immediately began his reign starting a campaign against the Pentomos. The Pentomos were the weakest of the three invaders, and he utterly destroyed them in a three-year campaign that saw the restoration of the north to Pomerania. During this campaign, he came to the sight of the battle of Stargard and buried all of the dead that still littered the field 7 years later with full honors. He was able to find the bones of the King, his father, brothers and other prominent nobles and had them sent back to be given a proper burial. By the time it was all said and done, most of the surviving Pentomos were turned into slaves and while others escaped to the north where after some migration would found their own kingdom.

As he was returning from the Northern Campaign, the Rosebuds and Dragoons managed to take and completely destroy the city of Pomupolis, looting the great wealth of the city, enslaving its population and turning the entire city into a wasteland. The city would never regain its former splendor and currently is a small town. This act of barbarity enraged Pomeranius, who vowed that he would have his revenge upon the Dragoons and Rosebuds. But he wouldn't be able to beat them alone, so he met with the Emperor of Ninisani, Charles I and forged a military alliance in 553.

However, time was needed for the Pomeranians and Elirians to recover from their great setbacks and they both decided that paying tribute to the barbarians would grant them the needed time. The Dragoons and Rosebuds, both exhausted from their campaigns and seeing the great amount of gold they would receive accepted eagerly. Thus started the 9 years of Peace.

During the 7 years of peace, Pomeranius founded a new capital at the mouth of the Nassova River on a small peninsula within his own Duchy of Löwenstein. He would name it Pomeraniopolis and in short time, many refugees would join the city and many great works would be constructed. The most important of these in the coming years were the Arminian Walls, the double walls that protected the city from land attack.

The peace was interrupted by the actions of the Dragoons and Rosebuds, who decided to strike Pomerania, the strongest of the two Kingdoms, by surprise. Caught totally off-guard, much of the nation was overrun in short order and fell into the hands of the Great Obsydian Horde. Pomeranius lead his army out to fight them at Colditz on June 24th 562 VTE. After a long and bloody battle, his army was defeated but still was largely intact. The King of the Dragoons, Horik II Dragontooth( Known as Erik II in the modern King list of Selenium) decided to take advantage of his victory and proceeded to reduce the land controlled by the Pomeranians down to the Albingian Peninsula and the Duchy of Löwenstein, where the terrain and natural obstacles prevented a further advance.

Wintering in Salzwedel, the Great Horde set out to conquer Eliria the next three years while Pomeranius recaptured some of the lost lands south of what he currently controlled and proceeded to fortify them. Eliria would ultimately fall to the Dragoons in 565. with Diamond City being destroyed in the process. total victory for Horik and the Rosebud leader, Arnaud seemed to be within total reach as 566 approached. Now the remnants of Pomerania were the last thing holding out and as the Horde gathered around Greifswald, the fate of not only Pomerania but the whole of LazuLight hung in the balance.

Pomeranius's decision to recapture fortifications in the South proved to be vital, as the Horde spent most of 566 capturing the now fortified cities south of the Nissova-Schöne-Lake Würm-Lake Konradshöhe boundary. Pomeranius did not dare meet them yet, spent the year continuing to train his men for the upcoming fight that would decide the fate of his Kingdom.

On January 12th 567, the Great Horde moved it's 60,000 men across the frozen Schöne River and quickly established itself on the opposite bank. Makeshift bridges were constructed, and Horik believed that he had just removed the last obstacle to his final conquest, Albingia aside. Little did he know that Pomeranius had been watching his army closely, and under the cover of snowstorm on January 13th had moved his army of 15,000 into a position above the Horde and was preparing to strike them at dawn.

The Horde woke up on January 14th to see 5,000 Knights atop the Reisenberg Hill with the sun at their backs. Without eating breakfast, they all moved into a shield wall formation as fast as they could as the Knights started to trot down the hill before entering into a full gallop. Lead by Pomeranius personally, the Knights shouted, "WE ARE POMU!" right before crashing headlong into the disorganized Obsydian lines. Chaos soon broke out within the horde, and many started to flee the battle. According to legend, Pomeranius slew Horik with his lance as he stood bravely trying to rally his men while Arnaud would be also cut down by Pomeranius as he tried to flee the field.

To make matters worse, the panicked horde ran across the frozen Schöne and the ice gave way across the river. The result was thousands drowning in the icy river or dying of hypothermia. Out of the 60,000 men, only 5,000 made it safely across the frozen river. The rest were either killed or captured by Pomeranius. The Battle of Reisenberg was the turning point in the Obsydian Invasion. No longer would the Obysdians be on the attack, and they too would now have to fight for their very survival.

News of the battle travelled fast across Ninisani and the Elirians rose up in revolt a month later after Charles came out of hiding. The Syrenians too, rose up in revolt, under their national hero, Marcus Claudius Marcellus. By the End of the year, everything gained by Obsydia during the previous four years was lost, as was much of the Vesta River Valley.

Pomeranius, with his realm reunited, and the spirits of his men high, now decided that it was time to deliver the killing blow. With the Elirians and Syrenians totally spent, it would be up to Pomerania itself to carry this burden. Thus, in the spring of 568, he first set out to crush the Rosebuds completely. After a battle was fought at Versmold on July 24th that saw the Rosebuds defeated, Pomeranius met with the King of the Rosebuds, Arnaud II. Arnaud pleaded for mercy for his people and told the Great King that he would be willing to submit as his vassal. Pomeranius, a chivalrous man, accepted and granted what would become known as the "Rose Valley" to Arnaud, who would become the first Margrave of Rosenkranz.

Next on the list was the Dragoons, who had managed to reorganize themselves under the brother of Horik II, Harald I Wartooth. Harald raised an army of 40,000 to challenge the inevitable threat of Pomeranius and in 569, the two monarchs would meet each other in battle on May 14th 569 near the settlement of Skalmarkelda in what is known as Drachinland today. The Dragoons fought bravely, but the Pomeranian Knights once again would prevail. Harald would retreat to the recently established capital of Kalmar. Outside of Kalmar on November 5th, another battle would be fought this time on unequal terms and saw the total destruction of the Dragoons. Out of the 25,000 who entered, only 5,000 would survive and Harald himself was captured.

Pomeranius, despite being a chivalrous man of legendary honor and fairness, would not be so kind to the man who had personally been in charge of the destruction of the holy city of Pomupolis. He remembered how Harald, the commander of the raid, had ordered the city to be completely raised the city to the ground, looted or destroyed sacred relics, enslaved her people and most sacrilegiously, had purposely defiled the Sacred Temple of Pomu by order it to be used it as a latrine. Now this miserable man, was standing before him with crocodile tears in his eyes begging for mercy to be shown to him. Without saying a word to Harald, he ordered the prisoner to be taken back to Pomeraniopolis in chains. He had a fate for Harald that would atone for the sins he committed against Pomu and Pomupolis.

As for Kalmar, a city built on the loot of Pomupolis and Diamond City, he ordered all of the cities peoples to be evacuated before taking back all of the stolen loot the city possessed over the course of 4 days. He then ordered the entire city to be leveled as Pomupolis had been. Kalmar would recover from this fate, but it would be hundreds of years before the city regained its former glory.

With the Dragoons mostly defeated, Pomeranius and his friend Charles decided on a policy that aimed to keep these troublemakers as a disorganized and disunited people that posed no threat to the other Kingdoms. Like the Rosebuds, Pomeranius and Charles both came to the realization that trying to bring back the same order as the pre-Obsydian invasion would not work for nations that had been the most devastated by it, Syrenia and Eliria. Thus, playing on the Dragoons sectionalism within their religion, he abolished the Kingdom and made every little petty noble swear fealty to the Empire alone.

Returning to Harald, he was lead through the streets of Pomeraniopolis in the first instance of a "Triumph", a practice adopted by Pomeranius from the Syrenians for this purpose. Harald, his family and the loot from the campaign were led down the central square of the city followed by the men from Pomeranius's army, and then Pomeranius himself in a golden chariot towards the Great Temple of the Divines. At the temple, Pomeranius got off his chariot and gave a rousing speech. He then turned to Harald, placed before him and told the crowd that this was the man who defiled the Holy City of Pomupolis and the temple of Pomu.

Do what you wish with this miserable man, fellow Pomeranians!

The crowd, without much hesitation, came upon Harald and tore him limb from limb. As for his family, Pomeranius let the go free, as he declared they were innocent of what Harald did.

The Rest of Pomeranius's Reign

With these master strokes, Pomeranius ended the Obsydian Crisis and had established Pomerania as the hegemon of the Empire itself. Indeed, the power of the emperor himself was greatly reduced as a result of the Obsydian Invasion and would continue to decline as years went along. However, Pomerania was not in a great state itself and could no longer realistically hold its eastern lands thanks to the rise of powerful Schizos in the region.

Pomeranius did try to subdue this region again in 572 but was met with defeat at the hands of the schizos and was forced to return to Pomerania with his defeated army. So, to solve this issue, Pomeranius set the Kingdoms border in Lucania and allowing the Rosebuds to handle the central Schizo lands as the vassal of his Kingdom. Post 572, Pomeranius undertook several small-scale campaigns to restore order in various areas, including crushing a Dragoonian attempt at reunification in 591. But other than that, the rest of his reign was a time of prosperity, peace and great growth for Pomerania

New cities were founded, and existing ones saw state investment into their infrastructure. Highways were constructed that linked many of the major cities together for more rapid trade and ease of movement, and the countryside was repopulated. The economy grew rapidly, and Pomerania entered a gold age under the Legendary King.

When he died in 598, Pomeranius was a living legend, and his accomplishments were only magnified as the years went along. Pomeranians today look at Pomeranius as the ideal Pomeranian and many myths exist about the man. The Saga of Pomeranius the Great, written by his Grandson Pomernius the Scholar and others, is the national epic of Pomerania. Considered to be one of the great works of literature, it reflects the idealization and romanticism of the former King and his friends. Every Pomeranian has heard the story in some form, and another great Pomeranian, Pomerlane has commissioned his own version of this tale that suits his life.

Post-Pomeranius Pomerania

The Golden Age that Pomeranius brought to the Kingdom last 84 years after his death. During this period, three strong Kings from the line of Pomeranius would reign: Pomuralius VI (598 to 624), Pomernius III (624 to 669) and Pomiticus I (669 to 682). Each of them continued the same approach as Pomeranius, and the nation continued to prosper as a result. It would be however during the latter part of the reign of Pomernius III and during the reign of Pomiticus I that the cracks began to show that would end the Golden Age.

Pomernius III throughout most of his reign was an energetic, fair and rather beloved King. He routinely made a habit of touring his nation, listening to peasants personally and trying to make their situation better. He became known as Pomernius the Wise because of this. But during the last 8 years of his reign, he began to mentally and physically decline. He became much quicker to anger, and overzealous in his approach to Pomuism. He would declare the Cult of the Rose heresy in 664 and began actively persecuting the minority without much success. He also became overly paranoid, having his own son, Pomeranius, killed for treason in 666 by the advice of his closest friend, Pomunulius II of Pomura. By the time the old man died, he left the throne to a 24-year-old grandson named Pomiticus.

Pomiticus, while known as being a wise ruler himself, would deal with crisis after crisis during his reign. He would have to put down another attempt at reuniting the Dragoons in 672, defeating them after a 2-year campaign. Schizo invasions from the east also were an issue that he constantly had to campaign against for the next 10 years. At home, the Plague of Anicius (670 to 674) struck Ninisani hard and it is estimated that 1/2 of the population died during this plague. Pomiticus lost his own son during the plague and was devestated by it personally. A great earthquake in 678 would also cause great havoc on the Kingdom. Pomiticus realizing how awful things had become decided to decentralize the state in order for localities to better defend themselves and for such disasters to be easier to deal with by local authorities in 680. This decision in hindsight was foolish, as it allowed the feudal lords to once again have much say on the Kingdom, but at the time it made perfect sense. When Pomiticus died in 682 at the age of 37 from dysentery, the tragedy of his life was sealed. He wanted to rule as a philosopher king but ruled as a Warrior King and had tragedy after tragedy strike him and the realm. Pomeranians remember him as a tragic hero today, but his reign marked the end of the Pomeranius's Golden age and sent the Kingdom into the time we know as "The Centuries of Stagnation"

The Centuries of Stagnation

Following the death of Pomiticus in 682, his brother Pomernius IV took the throne. Unlike his elder brother, Pomernius was a man consumed by passions and his reign was started the stagnation of Pomerania.

It should not be said that this was a period of Pomeranian decline in all fields or a dark age by any means. Pomeranian power was still evident throughout most of this period and there were strong Kings that reigned during this period, such as Pomiticus III (744 to 769) who saw the vestiges of the glory days return and managed to reconquer some of the lost lands in the East. But for every Pomiticus III were three Pomernius IV.

The last strong Pomeranian King until the Rise of Pomerlane nearly 300 years later was Pomupius III (901 to 937). His reign saw another revolt in Selenium crushed, the pacification of the Lucanians and a renaissance of the arts in Pomerania. Things however would go downhill after his death. His son, Pomiticus IV was killed in 941 in battle in Selenium, which soon became a Kingdom again and now would cause continued problems for Pomerania. The young son of Pomiticus, Pomupius IV (941 to 985), was underage and was mentally disabled.

During his reign, factionalism arose in Pomerania and the "triumvirate" was formed between the Prince of Salzwedel-Stormfury, the Hudtwalcker Banking Family and the Dukes of Pomura. These three, along with some other nobles would dominate Pomeranian politics until the coming of Pomerlane. While these three factions never truly saw eye to eye, they worked together to ensure that their power would grow and that the King would never again hold power over them like they did during the past.

The loss of Lucania and the collapse of the Margravate of Rosenkranz in 973 by the Luxiumite Revolution further weakened the Kingdom's Geopolitical situation. By the time Pomupius IV's reign ended, Pomerania was in decline as a power.

The Reign of the Triumvirate

Pomupius's death did not end the Triumivirate's reign over the nation, but rather marked its stability increasing. Knowing that Pomerania was essentially their Kingdom, and that further decline would result in the loss of their power, the Triumvirate over the next 50 years would fix some of the economic and military issues that the Kingdom was facing. They didn't want Selenium to have any say in what they did and thus these were crucial to their own survival. Indeed, the economic and military reforms worked wonders; seeing the wealth of the nation increase steadily in size and the army having a rebirth of power that was manifested by the Army Reform of 1001; which saw much of the nobility formally educated in the art of war, saw the introduction of new line of battle tactics, meritocratic promotion (of nobles) to higher ranks, excellent drilling and training standards and the development of a modern arms industry.

The triumvirate was an interesting arrangement, as each member focused on one area of society. The Hudtwalckers focused their attention on the economy, the Salzwedels on the military and the Pomurans on court politics. This arrangement worked for 100 years rather well, with said reforms, the economic growth and a renaissance of Pomerania culture occurring under the watchful eye of the Triumvirate. But the system that worked so well started to show its cracks in the Pomuran annexation of Greifswald in 1090.

Unlike the other two members of the Triumvirate, the Pomurans had done their best to ensure the rise of Pomuranism into what they hoped would become the state religion down the line. However, they had little success in this and were beginning to become the lesser power amongst the three. It was thus decided that their lands would need expansion for their place to continue. The Principality of Greifswald was a prime target, and the Pomurans were able to persuade the King that the Prince of Greifswald and his family were planning to organize a revolt with the help of the King of Selenium. Thus, in one power move, the absorbed the Principality and killed all of the members of the prince's family aside from his 4th son who made a miraculous escape with his cousins.

Little did they know that this 16-year-old boy would in a shock the world a mere 12 years later and not only become the man who ended the triumvirate, but the man who would destroy the House of Pomura and everything it ever stood for. His name was Pomernius von Löwenstein-Greifswald but is remembered by all as Pomerlane.

As the years went along and this Pomerlane was busy carving his own state in Syrenia, things remained as normal in Pomerania. The outrage of the Greifswald incident caused a lot of trouble for the Pomurans and resulted in their Duke abdicating in 1095 in favor of his son Pomuranus V. Charges were to be brought against the Pomurans but they were able with the help of their fellow Triumvirs able to get out of it. It should be noted that the ideology/philosophy of "Pomeranianism" had started to rise since the military reforms of 1001. Pomeranianism as an ideology focused on the cultivation of "Pomeranian Virtues" amongst the people and many of the lesser nobles who served in the army believed in this ideology. The Princes of Salzewedel themselves took this ideology to heart as well too. This ideology, however, increasingly saw the excesses of the Royal Family and their courtiers as dishonorable and some even claimed blasphemous to the truth of Pomuism. The claws of this ideology had not yet shown themselves but a powerkeg that had been building for centuries about the monarchy was now about to explode.

The Great Pomeranian War

The Great Pomeranian War would be the fuse that lit this fuse in Pomeranian society. Ironically, the fuse came from the Pomurans, whom would be the ones who would suffer the most from this explosion. The desires of their dynasty to grow their power did not change under Pomuranus V but rather grew. Pomuranus wanted to annex parts of Eliria to ensure that his dynasty would not become a third player to the Hudtwalckers and the Salzwedels. Knowing that the King of Selenium was outraged by Pomerlane's marriage to the Empress of Ninisani, Pomuranus told him false rumors that Pomerlane was going to invade his lands soon and that something would need to be done to stop him. Thus, the King of Selenium travelled to Pomura and met with Pomuranus to negotiate an alliance, in which they both would be prepared to make war against this renegade Prince. The Prince of Salzwedel was also drawn in hearing of this agreement, not wanting the Pomurans to grow too powerful himself. Now the stage was set and the war would be launched in 1111. (Stopping here for now)